The MVP vote is in the books. But there are a slew of other awards up for grabs in the NBA. Here’s how my ballot shapes up:

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

This was an easy choice, with No. 1 pick Anthony Davis having slogged through an injury-riddled first year and Lillard immediately taking control for the Blazers. Lillard wound up averaging 19.1 points and 6.5 assists, and was the only rookie to average 30 minutes per game over the course of a full season. Davis struggled with injuries, but still managed 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds, showing enough potential to make the Hornets satisfied with getting him at the top of the draft.

1. Damian Lillard, Blazers

2. Anthony Davis, Hornets

3. Andre Drummond, Pistons

COACH OF THE YEAR

George Karl spoke of not wanting to win this year’s Coach of the Year award, because of the curse that attends it—coaches who win the award are usually fired shortly thereafter. We can say safely that won’t be the case with Karl. He has reshaped his deep, athletic team into the kind of group he’s always wanted to coach in the NBA and it especially helps that his bunch is star-free. They’re the fourth-best team in the league, which is a pleasant surprise for a team with no All-Stars and no players averaging 17 points. As impressive as what Mike Woodson did with the injury-riddled Knicks was, and what Tom Thibodeau got out of the Derrick Rose-less Bulls, Karl’s work stood out most this year.

1. George Karl, Nuggets

2. Mike Woodson, Knicks

3. Tom Thibodeau, Bulls

SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR

This was a difficult vote because there are some very evenly matched bench denizens out there, and depending on how you parse the numbers or fit the guy into his team’s overall performance, you could come out with very different lists. But the bench player who had the most consistent and profound effect on his team’s performance has to be the Knicks’ J.R. Smith. He was the team’s second-leading scorer at 18.1 points per game, and he really picked up his play when the team needed him in the second half of the year—he averaged 21.3 points on 45.5 percent shooting after the All-Star break. I’ve got Carl Landry behind Smith, which might seem odd because the Warriors were pushing Jarrett Jack for the award. But Landry (10.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 23.1 minutes) stabilized the Warriors’ frontcourt as Andrew Bogut was knocked out with ankle injuries, which was every bit as important as the help Jack provided behind Steph Curry. He came in just ahead of Jamal Crawford (16.5 points per game).

1. J.R. Smith, Knicks

2. Carl Landry, Warriors

3. Jamal Crawford, Clippers

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

In my midseason awards Marc Gasol was the hands-down Defensive Player of the Year winner, and I was inclined to stick with that now that the year is ending. But Milwaukee big man Larry Sanders has made quite a push, and the two players have almost identical defensive efficiency numbers—Gasol allows .758 points per possession, while Sanders yields .760. What ultimately convinced me to keep Gasol at the top was the dominance of the Grizzlies defense, which ranks first in points allowed and second in efficiency. I had to give Gasol credit for that. Meanwhile, No. 3 on the list is a guy whose offensive exploits overshadow his defense: presumptive MVP LeBron James.

1. Marc Gasol, Grizzlies

2. Larry Sanders, Bucks

3. LeBron James, Heat

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

No need to waste time ranting about what a goofy award this one is. There are no criteria, really, but I refuse to give it to a second- or third-year player who improved simply because he got more playing time or just became more consistent. I want to see players who have actually done something different, and changed who and what they are in the league—thus I have a funky list here. I don’t think anyone has changed more dramatically than Andray Blatche, who was a punchline on his way to lazing himself out of the league before the Nets gave him a shot. He has delivered, averaging 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in 18.9 minutes, resurrecting a wayward career. After him, I have Serge Ibaka, long a shot-blocking wonder in the Thunder’s frontcourt. But this year, he became an underrated offensive threat, averaging 13.2 points on 57.2 percent shooting and developing a credible midrange game. Behind him is All-Star James Harden, who answered all questions about whether he could move from bench role to franchise star by averaging 25.9 points on 44.0 percent shooting.